Cold

June 30, 2015

There's one treat I must eat every time I visit Disneyland and it's a Dole Whip. If you've never had one, it's light, creamy, pineappley (which is a word according to the Internet) soft serve that is served in Adventureland. It's really good and really easy to recreate at home. This recipe is for popsicle versions! The best part is that is only has four ingredients and costs about $4!

directions:Just blend all the ingredients together! Told you it was easy. Be sure to blend it for a few minutes, so the pineapple pieces get blended until smooth. Then just pour in to your popsicle mold. Let it freeze for about an hour, then insert the popsicle sticks. Freeze for a few hours or until solid.

March 06, 2015

The moment we moved into our new house, I claimed a spot in the freezer for my ice cream maker attachment. There wasn't much room at my parents house to store my machine, so when I moved out I wanted to make sure it had a spot and was ready to use. (It has to sit in the freezer for at least 16 hours to be ready to make ice cream, but I always hate waiting for it to get cold enough. I just store it in the freezer, so it's always ready to go. You never know when you'll be in the mood to make a frozen treat!)

We still have a ton of grapefruit to eat before they go bad, so I've been trying to think of ways to use them. I remembered the ice cream maker in the freezer and knew I had to make sorbet!

I really love how this recipe turned out. The lavender and grapefruit flavors fit together so well! Plus, it was really easy to make.

Grapefruit & Lavender Sorbet, makes 1 quart

ingredients:3 cups grapefruit juice (I used about 8 grapefruits)3 large strips of grapefruit zest (use a peeler) 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice1/2 cup light corn syrup2/3-1 cup sugar (depends on the sweetness of the fruit, if they are on the sour side, use 1 cup)1/2 teaspoon lavender extract (or use more lavender buds)a sprinkle of lavender buds

directions:The first step is to juice all the grapefruits. Honestly, this is the hardest part of this recipe. I juiced the fruit and pour it into a measuring cup through a mesh sieve until I had three cups. Once you have 3 cups of juice, combine the grapefruit juice, zest, lemon juice, corn syrup, and sugar in a pot and bring to a boil and stir until the sugar dissolves. Then, transfer the mixture to a bowl to cool. Add the lavender extract and sprinkle a little lavender buds into the bowl. Let this cool and then transfer into the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours.

Pour the mixture from the bowl into a measuring cup through the mesh sieve again. This removes the lavender buds and any extra pulp. With your machine running, slowly pour in the mixture. Within minutes, you'll see the liquid starting to freeze. Continue to let the mixer stir until it's thick and resembles the consistency of sorbet. Usually, the mixer doesn't freeze the ice cream enough to eat as soon as it's done. I transferred my sorbet into an ice cream container and let it freeze for a couple hours. Once it's hard enough to scoop, you're done!

This grapefruit and lavender sorbet is so good. It has a light flavor that's not overwhelming. I hope you enjoy! xo. Laura

February 17, 2015

The weather here in Phoenix is already starting to warm up. It's been really nice outside, but that means the citrus trees need to be picked. Thankfully, my parents and my boyfriends dad have grapefruit trees! Since we recently moved out, we love the free fruit, but we didn't know what to do with that much grapefruit. Naturally, we turned to the internet and with the help of Pinterest, we came up with a tasty grapefruit and gin cocktail. This drink is super easy to make and only requires three ingredients.

directions: Pour the grapefruit juice and gin into a shaker and mix together. Divide mixture into two tall glass filled with ice and add 4 ounces of tonic water to each glass. Stir and enjoy! xo. Laura

p.s. I want to add a special thank you to my boyfriend, Grant, for helping me with this post. He was the cocktail maker and assistant photographer. It was fun to have a blog helper.

December 23, 2014

For my 22 before 23 birthday list, I made a goal to cook 22 recipes from 22 places. I started by making a list of countries where I either liked the food or knew nothing about the food. The point of this goal is to learn new things about ingredients and cultures while trying to improve my cooking skills. See past recipes here: 1, 2, 3

I wanted to learn how people in other parts of the world celebrate Christmas, since it's right around the corner. I started researching recipes and found this tasty rice and almond pudding. Risalamande is a traditional Christmas dessert from Denmark. It's based on rice, cream, and almonds and served with hot cherry sauce. Plus, it's really easy!

directions:Bring milk, rice, and the seeds from the vanilla bean to a low boil and cover for about 50 minutes. Remember to stir often to make sure the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. After the rice is cooked, stir in the sugar. Remove the rice from heat, so it can cool.

Once it is cooled, whip the whipping cream. I used my stand mixture and slowly increased the speed until it was fluffy. Stir the chopped almonds into the rice. After that is mixed, stir in the whipped cream.

sauce directions:The sauce is really easy. In a pot, bring the cherries to a low boil. Stir the cornstarch into the water and add it to the boiling cherries. Let it cook and thicken for a few minutes until you're happy with the consistency.

It's time to enjoy! The pudding is meant to be served cold with the hot cherry sauce. So good!

November 12, 2014

For my 22 before 23 birthday list, I made a goal to cook 22 recipes from 22 places. I started by making a list of countries where I either liked the food or knew nothing about the food. The point of this goal is to learn new things about ingredients and cultures while trying to improve my cooking skills. See past recipes here: 1, 2

I was looking up recipes for something to make from Peru and when I googled "recipes from Peru," Pisco Sours popped up everywhere. So, for this post, I decided to make a cocktail instead of cooking something. It's fun to learn cocktail recipes and this is definitely one I'll make again. Peru and Chile both have versions of this drink, but I chose to follow the recipe from Peru.

directions:Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with some ice (small handful). Give it a good shake and pour it into an Old Fashioned glass. To garish, add a couple drops of bitters.

I wasn't too sure about this drink at first, because of the egg white. But it turned out pretty good! It was refreshing and the bitters added a cool flavor. Have you had a Pisco Sour before? What dinner was served with it? xo, Laura